News :: GLBT
Point Foundation sends LGBT students to school
by David Solar
Bay Windows Contributor
Thursday Jun 26, 2008
Five Massachusetts residents were among the group of 27 scholarship recipients chosen this year by the Point Foundation, the nation’s largest donor of merit scholarships to LGBT students.
"We are inspired by and proud of all our scholars, and aim to give them the support and encouragement to excel both academically and personally," said Jorge Valencia, the foundation’s executive director, in a June 10 statement.
Founded in 2001 by Bruce Lindstrom, the Point Foundation has helped 134 LGBT scholars attend college. The organization not only spends an average of $13,200 on each student’s financial aid, but also thousands more through its mentoring program and annual leadership conference. Through these programs students are paired with professionals from their subject of interest and learn valuable life skills in areas including philanthropy and leadership development.
"[The Point Foundation] connects you with someone who can really help you connect activism with whatever career path you choose," said Caroline Cox-Orrell of Newton. Cox-Orell plans to study medicine from a sociological perspective at the University of Chicago.
Alex Morse, a Brown University sophomore from Holyoke, reflected positively on the multi-pronged approach of the Point Foundation scholarship program. "It’s great," said the urban studies/African studies major. "It shows it’s not just a scholarship ... they take a multifaceted approach. Those three things together [scholarship, mentoring program and leadership conference] make the scholarship very effective and make it more likely the scholar will succeed."
Morse was one of the first openly gay students in his Holyoke high school. Like other Point scholars, he was deeply involved in social activism, organizing the first annual Western Massachusetts Youth Pride Prom. Over 300 students attended the event, which he said provided a "safe space for LGBT students who may not be comfortable at traditional proms."
The remaining Bay State Point scholars are Stephen Benjamin of Mendon, who plans to study political science at an undetermined university; Jonathan Doucette of Northboro, who is studying English at Oberlin College in Ohio and Hillary Gleason of Winchendon, a Women’s Studies/Psychology major at Clark University.
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